Bail clip for a container having a rolled rim



G. C. BAUER Sept. 28, 1965 BAIL CLIP FOR A CONTAINER HAVING A ROLLED RIM Filed Nov. 5, 1962 6' 6 INVENTOR GERALD C. BAUER United States Patent 3,208,630 BAIL CLIP FOR A CONTAINER HAVING A ROLLED RIM Gerald C. Bauer, Portage Township, Kalamazoo County,

Mich, assignor to Cellu-Kote, Inc., Schoolcraft, Mich,

a corporation of Michigan Filed Nov. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 235,269 7 Claims. (Cl. 220-91) This invention relates to a clip construction for transferring a load between an article and a support and it relates more particularly to a clip construction for attaching a handle to the rim of a rimmed container.

The use of a clip for securing a handle to the rim of a rimmed container, said clip being separable from both the container and the handle, is well known in the art. Known clips have often been manufactured of rigid or resilient materials and they have been preformed into the shape in which they will be used before attachment to a container. Such clips have been attached to containers by various external means, such as by screws, rivets or welding, or they have been secured to containers by means inherent in the shape or material of the clip or the container rim.

The specific need out of which this invention arose was to provide a bail clip for use on containers made of fibrous material and having a rolled metal rim as shown in my copending application Serial No. 177,006, now abandoned. Such a container is capable of holding a substantial quantity of relatively heavy material, such as frozen foods or asphalt base products, and it is desired to attach a handle, such as a wire bail, to such a container so that it can be carried by a workman. The aforesaid container was designed so that it could be shipped to the point of use in a knocked-down condition and so that it could be erected and a rim placed thereon in the field. Because of these particular requirements, existing clips were found to be not useable for various reasons, the most important ones of which are mentioned below.

Although a clip construction for securing a handle to a metal rimmed, fibrous container has been mentioned above as exemplifying the specific need out of which the invention arose, it will be recognized that said example is for purposes of illustration only and that the bail clip construction of this invention may advantageously be used for a wide variety of purposes.

Attachment of bail clips to containers by external means, such as screws or rivets, is disadvantageous because installation is time consuming and because future attention may be required to maintain such means in a tight condition. Welding is disadvantageous because it too is time consuming and requires tools which might not be available where it is desired to attach the clips to the containers in the field. Further, welding would be possible only with clips and containers made of certain materials. Cementing the clips to the containers is also time consuming and environmental conditions may tend to make the cemented joint deteriorate.

Securing the clip to the container without the use of extra parts or materials or complex processes but rather by means of inherent structural features of the clip and the container is generally less time consuming but it does depend on the character of the clip and the part of the container, such as the rim, to which said clip is to be attached. Therefore, a clip of a given shape and material that is suitable for one container may not be suitable for a different type of container. For example, a rigid clip designed for use on a container with a resilient rim may well be completely unworkable on a container with a rigid rim. As another example, a resilient clip which, under relatively light loads, is suitable for securing a handle to a container having a rim with a relatively broad horizontal surface from which, at its outer edge, depends a relatively large vertical flange, may be unworkable on a container having a rim of relatively small circular cross section even if said resilient clip is redesigned so as to snugly fit said circular cross-section rim.

The above-mentioned clips may require relatively complex and expensive equipment for their manufacture and assembly and, further, said clips because of their preformed configuration will often be packable for shipping only loosely, thus wasting space in the shipping box.

Previous clips, of all types, have often been attached to the bail or handle at some distance from the point of their attachment to the container body or rim thereby requiring that the part of the clip between the container and the handle to be of relatively heavy construction even to support relatively light loads.

Accordingly, the major objects of this invention include:

(1) To provide an improved bail clip construction for securing a handle to a container.

(2) To provide a bail clip construction for securing a handle to the rim of a rimmed container wherein said rim is essentially rigid.

(3) To provide a bail clip construction which is of onepiece construction, which can be made from a thin, easily formed, material, such as inexpensive, light gauge, sheet metal, which can be manufactured singly in a few operations with hand tools or which can be easily mass produced in a single step by currently available machines, and which is inexpensive to produce.

(4) T 0 provide a bail clip construction which is light in weight, small in size, and which may be packed densely for easy and relatively inexpensive transportation.

(5) To provide a bail clip construction which can be secured to a containe without th use of extra parts or materials and without the use of heat, which is securable to a container easily as a part of a mass production sequence or which is easily and rapidly securable to a container in the field with a single clamping motion imparted by a single, inexpensive, hand-operated tool.

(6) To provide a bail clip construction wherein the handle can be easily and rapidly installed or removed from the bail clip without the use of tools and with negligible wear on the parts involved.

(7) To provide a bail clip construction wherein the handle is freely rotatable about an axis passing transversely through the bail clips engaged by said handle for easier handling and storing of containers equipped with said clips and handles.

(8) To provide a bail clip of relatively light construction which can be used to secure a handle to a container carrying heavy loads.

(9) To provide a bail clip which can effectively be used on rimmed containers without covers or with recessed or partially recessed covers.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will be apparent to persons acquainted with devices of this type upon reading the accompanying specification and upon examining the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a container to which is attached a handle by means of bail clips embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the fragment of FIGURE 1 indicated at A showing the bail clip embodying the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III-III of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of a modified bail clip embodying the invention.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line VV of FIGURE 4 and also showing the handle.

FIGURE 6 is a top view of a modified bail clip embodying the invention.

The terms inwardly and outwardly and derivatives thereof as used in the following description will relate to the geometric center of the container to which the bail clip is attached. The terms upwardly and downwardly and rightwardly and leftwardly and derivatives thereof will apply to the structure as shown in the accompanying drawings.

Forms 0 1 FIG URES 13 Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows a cylindrical container 10 to which is attached a bail or handle 11 by means of bail clips 12 and 13 which embody the invention herein disclosed. It will be understood that the particular container and handle shown in the drawings are only intended to illustrate typical constructions. The invention is applicable to other forms of containers and handles. The container 10 has a side wall 14 terminating at its upward extremity in a rim 16. The rim 16 is shown here for purposes of illustration to be of roughly oval cross section (FIGURE 3) and as being formed by curling the top of the wall 14 and the edge of sheet 18 to form a spiral configuration whereby said portions of the wall 14 and the sheet 18 are interlocked as described in Serial No. 177,006 and wherein the sheet 18 forms the exterior surface of the rim 16. The sheet 13 includes an inner portion 19 which extends radially toward the center of the container 10. Said portion 19 may completely close off one end of the container so that the sheet 18 acts as a cover or the portion 19 may be a flange upon which a removable cover (not shown) can be placed. This is further described in Serial No. 177,006 and needs no further detailing.

The ball clips 12 and 13 are identical. Hence, only clip 12 needs to be described in detail. The clip 12 is here shown. as consisting of a rectangularly shaped piece of suitable sheet material, such as sheet metal, which is bent around the rim 16 on the container 10 so that it closely surrounds and continuously contacts said rim except as noted below. Thus, the bail clip 12 follows the decreasing radius of curvature of the sheet 18 and its lower edge portion 21 extends upwardly into the gap between said sheet and the outside of the container wall 14. The upper edge portion 22 of the bail clip 12 extends to a point preferably below and inwardly of the uppermost portion of the sheet 18. Thus, the clip 12 is curved through an are preferably of more than 180 degrees so that said clip cannot accidentally be removed from the rim 16.

The bail clip 12 has a depending extension 24 which preferably is formed by lancing out a portion of the clip close to, but spaced from, the edge 21 whereby said depending extension is integral with said clip and is located directly below the lowermost point on the rim 16. Said extension 24 defines a passage 26, the central axis of which preferably extends radially with respect to the container 10. The passage 26 is here shown for purposes of illustration to be of approximately isosceles triangular cross section; however, said passage may be of any convenient cross section with the limitation set forth hereinbelow. Formation of the extension 24 "by the lancing operation leaves an opening in the bail clip 12 as indicated at 27.

The lower portion 28 of the handle or bail 11 is suitably bent so that it can be disposed substantially coaxially within the passage 26. Said lower portion 28 is provided at its inner end with an ear 31 such that, when the handle 11 is installed on a container 10 and is positioned vertically, the ear 31 extends upwardly into the crevice 32 between the lower edge portion 21 of the bail clip 12 and the outer surface of the wall 14 adjacent thereto sufficientlyto prevent axial movement of the lower portion 28 through the passage 26. The ear 3 1 contacts the surface of edge portion 21 and the lower portion 28 of the handle engages the edges of opening 27 whereby the container 10 is directly supported on the handle when it is being carried.

It is to be noted that the passage 26 has substantially triangular recesses 34 on either side of the central portion thereof which is occupied by the lower portion 28 of the handle. Thus, by rotating the handle toward a horizontal position, the ear 31 can be moved from its position in the crevice 32 and said lower portion 28 can be moved axially out of the passage 26, with the ear moving through one of the recesses 34. The handle can be attached to the clip by a reverse operation. The handle 11 will be capable of flexing to a sufficient extent to permit such axial movement.

Installation Although the installation of the clip 12 and the handle 11 have been partially indicated hereinabove, said installation will now be specifically described to insure a complete understanding of the embodiment of the invention herein discussed.

The clip 12, prior to installation, is preferably curved to a lesser extent than it is after installation so that it can be loosely placed around the rim 16. It is desirable, but not essential, to precurve the lower portion of the clip substantially to its final shape so that the lower edge portion 21 thereof can be placed into the gap between the sheet 18 and the outer surface of the wall 14. In this case the upper portion of the clip is bent around the rim 16 in order to effect installation of the clip. Thus, the clip 12 may be installed 'by first placing the lower edge 21 of said clip so that it is contiguous to the sheet 13 and so that it is closely adjacent the outside of the wall 14 (FIGURE 3). The remainder of the clip 12 is then deformed, as with a pliers-like tool, around the rim 16, following the increasing radius of the spiral defined by the sheet 18, so that the inner surface of the clip 12 everywhere conforms to and is in close contact with the surface of the sheet 18. Thus, with a single clamping movement the clip 12 is installed on the rim 16. Alternatively, the upper portion of the clip can be precurved to its final shape in which case the lower portion is bent into snug engagement wit-h the rim 16.

The clip 13 is preferably installed on the container rim 16 in the same manner diametrically across from the clip 12.

The handle 11 is preferably installed in the clip 12 by aligning said handle so that its lower portion 28 is coaxial wit-h the passageway 26 and so that the ear 31 is aligned with one of the recesses 34 of the passageway 26. The lower portion 28 of the handle 11 is then passed inwardly through the passage 26 until the ear 31 lies beneath the crevice 32. The opposite end of the handle 11 is similarly installed in the bail clip 13, and such installation may be made prior to, simultaneous with, or after the installation of the handle end 28 in the clip 12. After both handle ends have been inserted in the bail clips 12 and 13, the handle 11 may be rotated about the axis defined by its ends to a vertical position, in which position it is ready for use.

The portion 36 of the bail 11, as shown in FIGURE 3, immediately above the end portion 28 thereof may be so formed as to bear against the side of the clip 12 when said handle is installed in the clip 12 and defines a vertical plane, the handle 11 being then held in said vertical position by the friction between the portion 36 and the adjacent area of the clip 12.

It should also be noted that the interaction of the ear 31 with the crevice 32 tends to prevent axial movement of the lower portion 28 of the handle 11 with respect to and away from the side of the container 10.

Thus, the clips 12 and 13 function to prevent any. unintended circumferential dislodgement of the handle 11 from the container and by their novel construction allow effectively direct load transfer from the rim 16 to the handle 11. Although the load is in fact transmitted between the rim 16 and part 28 of the bail through the lower portion of the clip, said lower portion of the clip lies solidly against said rim so that the strength of the clip is not involved in the load transference. It functions only to hold the bail ends again-st circumferential movement along the rim and hence can be made of relatively thin metal, even when intended for use with heavy pails.

Form of FIGURES 4 and 5 FIGURES 4 and 5 disclose a modified bail clip construction in which the handle is positioned on the container rim by means other than the extension 24 described hereinabove and the contact between the bails ends and the rim is actually direct. Elements corresponding to those in the above-described embodiment of the invention will be designated with the same reference numerals but with the addition of the sufiix a thereto.

The modified bail clip 52 may be of identical construction to the bail clip 12 discussed hereinabove except that the extension 24 and opening 27 are not present. In the place thereof, the clip 52 has an integral depending portion 64 which preferably is tangential to the periphery of the rim 16a and extends downwardly. Said depending portion 64 is preferably formed in the manufacture of the clip 52 by piercing the clip so that only the upper edge of said portion 64 remains connected to the clip. When the clip 52 is applied to the rim 16a and made to conform thereto, the depending portion 64 is not bent to conform to the rim 16a but rather is left to extend tangent to the periphery of the clip 52. This provides a slot 67 between the bent portions 61 which is open at the inner end thereof.

The depending portion 64 has an opening 66 the diameter of which is equal to or slightly larger than the diam eter of the lower portion 28a of the bail 11a. Said opening 66 has a pair of preferably horizontal ear channels 74 cut in the sides thereof which are of sufficient size to admit the ear 31a at the end of the bail 11a. Thus, the bail can be applied to or removed from the clip in the same manner as described above in connection with the principal embodiment of the invention.

The lower edge of the depending portion 64 may, for purposes of safety and appearance, be radiused as shown in FIGURE 4. Except for the particular points noted above, the construction and installation of the bail clip 52 is the same as the construction and installation of the bail clip 12 and therefore repetition of this information is not believed to be required.

The installation of the handle 11a on the bail clip 52, assuming said clip to have ben installed on the rim 16a of the container 10a is essentially the same as the installation of a handle 11 on the bail clip 12 and therefore will not be further discussed. It will be noted, however, that when the handle 11a (FIGURE 5) is installed in the clip 52, the ear 31a is within the slot 67 and extends into the crevice 72 defined by the lower, outer portion of the sheet 18a and the outside of the wall 14a thereby preventing movement of the handle end 28a away from or toward the center of the container 10a. The horizontal portion of the handle end 28a adjacent to the ear 31a bears directly on the underside of the rim 16a. Said direct bearing tends to restrain the horizontal portion of the handle 11a from movement relative to the container rim 16a, said tendency increasing as the pressure between the handle end 28a and the container rim 16a increases. The handle end 28a in appropriate cases can form an indentation in the portion of the sheet 18a which it contacts and thereby further increase the stability of the assembly. Further, adhesion between the clip 52 and the container rim 16a is enhanced due to the tendency of the edges of the slot 67 to bite into the rim 16a.

It will be noted that the clip 52 in no way directly supports the load in the container 10a but, rather, due to its novel construction, allows said load to be borne directly by the handle 11a. The clip 52 further serves to locate the handle end 28a circumferentially on the rim 16a of the container 10a and to locate the handle end 28a radially of the container 10a.

FIG URE 6 modification FIGURE 6 shows a further modification which may be applied to either the clip 12 or the clip 52 and which is particularly useful when the diameter of the container is small. In such case it might happen that the clip would tend to buckle at its inner edge. This tendency is eliminated by cutting a slot in said edge 62 as indicated at 81. This modification may also be advantageous with clip 52 in cases where it is required that the depending portion 64 be of greater length than the length of the remainder of the clip. Thus, when several such clips 52 are cut from a fiat sheet of material the extra material for such portion 64 can be obtained from the material cut out to provide slot 81 in an adjacent clip. This would minimize waste and therefore, is more economical.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been herein discussed in connection with a cylindrical container of a particular rim cross section and a handle of a particular type, it will be recognized that the invention will be applicable to a wide variety of types of containers and handles and the hereinafter appended claims will be so interpreted excepting as their terms may expressly require otherwise.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a rimmed container having an upwardly extending side having an external rim of curved cross section at its upper end wherein a crevice is formed between the underside of said rim and the adjacent area on the outer surface of said side;

a bail clip attachable to said rim comprising a sheet of rigid material deformable so that one surface thereof lies in continuous contact with said rim, said clip having a bail attaching means integral therewith and extending downwardly therefrom spaced from said rim and said container;

said sheet having a first upwardly extending edge thereof lying within said crevice substantially abutting against said container side and the underside of said rim;

said sheet having a second edge, opposite said first edge, lying past the top of said rim and radially closer than said top to the interior of said container;

said ball clip attaching means depending from said sheet;

and a bail having an end extending through said bail attaching means and bearing directly against the underside of said rim.

2. A container structure comprising:

a container having an upstanding side wall, said side wall having a rolled rim at its upper end, said rim defining a downwardly opening gap between said side wall and the opposed portion of said rim and above the lowermost point on said rim;

a clip of sheet material having a curved portion snugly embracing said rim and extending from a point on the inner side of said rim and below the uppermost point on said rim around the periphery of said rim, said clip having an edge portion having a continuous edge, said edge portion extending upwardly into said gap and defining a crevice with said side Wall;

said clip having an extension offset downwardly from the curved portion of said clip and located directly below the lowermost point on said rim, said extension and said curved portion defining a passage which extends perpendicular to said container side wall and which is open at both ends;

a handle having an end portion extending through said passage, said end portion having a tip extending upwardly into said crevice and contacting said edge portion whereby the weight of said container is applied directly to said end portion of said handle.

3. A container structure comprising:

a container having an upstanding side wall, said side wall having a rolled rim at its upper end, said rim defining a downwardly opening gap between said side wall and the opposed portion of said rim and above the lowermost point on said rim;

a clip of sheet material having a curved portion snugly embracing said rim and extending from a point on the inner side of said rim and below the uppermost point on said rim around the periphery thereof, said rim having two spaced apart, corresponding edge portions with a slot therebetween, said edge portions extending upwardly into said gap, said clip having an extension extending downwardly from said rim substantially tangent to the outermost point thereon at the outer end of said slot, said extension extending below the lowermost point on said rim and being at least as small as said slot, said extension having a passage therethrough below said lowermost point;

a handle having an end portion extending through said passage, said end portion having a tip at its inner end which extends upwardly through said slot into said gap and into contact with said rim, said end portion also extending through said slot into contact with the lowermost point on said rim at a point spaced from said inner end whereby the weight of said container is applied directly to said end portion of said handle.

4. In combination, a rimmed article of the type that includes an upwardly extending side having an external rim of continuously curved cross section wherein a crevice is formed between said rim and the adjacent area of said side;

a bail for lifting said article; and a clip for holding said bail in operating position comprising a sheet of rigid material curved through an arc in excess of 180 degrees and continuously contacting said rim from within said crevice around the outside of said rim to an edge located inwardly of the top of said rim, said clip having an upwardly curved end portion at one end thereof and extending upwardly into said crevice, said clip having a downwardly curved end portion at the opposite end thereof extending along said rim to a point below the top of said rim; and a downwardly extending punched-out portion integral with and displaced from the plane of said sheet and extending away therefrom to define an opening in said sheet, said portion also defining a bail-receiving opening below the underside of said rim through which the end of the bail extends, the upper edge of said bail-receiving opening lying in an imaginary plane substantially tangent to the lowermost points on said rim so that said bail dilectly contacts the. underside of said rim.

5. In combination, a rimmed contziner having an upwardly extending side having an external rim of curved cross section at its upper end wherein a crevice is formed between the underside of said rim a1 1d the adjacent area on the outer surface of said side;

a bail clip attachable to said rim comprising a sheet of rigid material deformable so that one surface thereof lies in continuous contact with said rim, said clip having a bail attaching means integral therewith and extending downwardly therefrom spaced from said rim and said container;

said sheet having a first upwardly extending edge thereof lying within said crevice substantially abutting against said container side and the underside of said rim;

said sheet having a second edge, opposite said first edge, lying past the top of said rim and radially closer than said top to the interior of said container;

said bail attaching means comprising an extension depending from said clip, said extension defining the bottom of a passage, the portion of said sheet adjacent said extension defining the top of said passage, said passage having a first axial end facing away from said container and a second axial end facing toward said container;

a bail having an end which extends through said passage, said bail having an ear on its end for confinement in a second crevice defined by the lower end of said clip adjacent said first edge and the adjacent area of said side of said container, said bail end and said ear being passable through said passage.

6. In combination, a rimmed container having an upwardly extending side having an external rim of curved cross section at its upper end wherein a crevice is formed between the underside of said rim and the adjacent area on the outer surface of said side;

a bail clip attachable to said rim comprising a sheet of rigid material deformable so that one surface thereof lies in continuous contact with said rim, said clip having a bail attaching means integral therewith and extending downwardly therefrom spaced from said rim and said container;

said sheet having a first upwardly extending edge thereof lying within said crevice substantially abutting against said container side and the underside of said rim;

said sheet having a second edge, opposite said first edge, lying past the top of said rim and radially closer than said top to the interior of said container;

said bail attaching means depending from said sheet and comprising a substantially planar depending portion tangent to said rim and lying within a substantially vertical plane;

said depending portion being pierced with an opening near the lower end thereof, the upper most point on the perimeter of said opening lying on a substantially horizontal line tangent to the underside of said rim, said opening having on one side thereof an ear channel opening thereinto, said ear channel having an essentially horizontal central axis collinear with a radius of said opening; and

wherein said clip has a slot therein extending from said depending portion to said first edge of said clip, said slot being of a width substantially equal to the width of said depending portion.

7. The clip defined in claim 6 including a bail'having collinear ends, said ends each having a single, essentially triangular ear thereon extending toward the midportion of said bail;

said end and said ear thereon being passable through said opening and said ear channel respectively for installation on said clip;

said ear being confinable radially of said container in a crevice defined by said rim and the outside portion of the container wall adjacent thereto;

a portion of said end adjacent said ear lying within said slot and in contact with the underside of said rim defining thereby a horizontal tangent to said underside of said rim, said end being rotatable within said opening.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 6/55 Balint et a1. 220 91 1/62 Klages 220-91 FOREIGN PATENTS 6/58 France. 6/32 Great Britain.

3/48 Great Britain. 3/53 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 

2. A CONTAINER STRUCTURE COMPRISISNG: A CONTAINER HAVING AN UPSTANDING SIDE WALL, SAID SIDE WALL HAVING A ROLLED RIM AT ITS UPPER END, SAID RIM DEFINING A DOWNWARDLY OPENING GAP BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALL AND THE OPPOSED PORTION OF SAID RIM AND ABOVE THE LOWERMOST POINT ON SAID RIM; A CLIP OF SHEET MATERIAL HAVING A CURVED PORTION SNUGLY EMBRACING SAID RIM AND EXTENDING FROM A POINT ON THE INNER SIDE OF SAID RIM AND BELOW THE UPPERMOST POINT ON SAID RIM AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID RIM, SAID CLIP HAVING AN EDGE PORTION HAVING A CONTINUOUS EDGE, SAID EDGE PORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY INTO SAID GAP AND DEFINING A CREVICE WITH SAID SIDE WALL; SAID CLIP HAVING AN EXTENSION OFFSET DOWNWARDLY FROM THE CURVED PORTION OF SAID CLIP AND LOCATED DIRECTLY BELOW THE LOWERMOST POINT ON SAID RIM, SAID EXTENSION AND SAID CURVED PORTION DEFINING A PASSAGE WHICH EXTENDS PERPENDICULAR TO SAID CONTAINER SIDE WALL AND WHICH IS OPEN AT BOTH ENDS; A HANDLE HAVING AN END PORTION EXTENDING THROUGH SAID PASSAGE SAID END PORTION HAVING A TIP EXTENDING UPWARDLY INTO SAID CREVICE AND CONTACTING SAID EDGE PORTION WHEREBY THE WEIGHT OF SAID CONTAINER IS APPLIED DIRECTLY TO SAID END PORTION OF SAID HANDLE. 